A. EDP – Eastern Development Program – is a youth soccer league whose stated mission is to serve respected clubs whose teams need a higher level of competition to develop their players than is available to them locally.

Q. What are the ages of teams which participate in EDP?

A. Boys and girls youth teams U8 to U19 participate in EDP.

Q. Will all Summit travel teams participate in EDP?

A. No, only selected top level Summit travel teams will be placed in EDP. Other teams will continue to play in local leagues – MCYSA and MNJYSA.

Q. Is EDP a regional league?

Yes, EDP is a regional league, serving states in US North Eastern region, including New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.

Q. Does this mean my Summit team may have to travel to Maryland and Virginia?

A. No. Teams are organized in flights based on their level of play and geographical location. Summit teams will be placed in North or Central flights and will have to play with mostly teams from Northern and Central NJ, and occasionally with teams from other states like NY and PA, but usually located no more than one hour away.

Q. How is EDP league structured?

A. In age groups U11 and higher EDP offers three levels of play, from most to least competitive:

EDP, EDP Premier and EDP Championship. Younger teams play in EDP Futures league and tournaments.

Q. Does MAPS league still exist?

MAPS is now called EDP Championship and has become the lower tier of EDP league.

Q. How are flights organized in EDP?

Most teams are organized in flights based on their level of play and geographical location. Multiple North, Central and South flights are created at each level of the league, EDP, EDP Premier and EDP Championship. The highest level U13 and older teams in the region are placed in most challenging NPL flights.

Q. What flight may my Summit team play in?

A. Most Summit teams picked to play in EDP will be originally placed in EDP Championship. Teams which have already seen success in EDP Championship may be placed in EDP Premier.

Q. Will my team's travel to away games increase in EDP?

A. Average distance will likely increase for the teams playing in EDP compared to MCYSA and Mid-NJ, but not by much for most teams. The league organizes the flights by level and geographical location. Summit teams will be placed in North or (less likely) Central flights. Our experience with few Summit EDP teams shows that there are enough participating clubs in 30 minutes drive distance from Summit (Westfield, Millburn, Morristown, Newark, Elizabeth, Plainfield, Gladstone, Bernardsville, Montclair etc.) that out of 5 away league games, there are usually no more than 1-2 games which are one hour or more away. And one hour travel to games in MCYSA and MNJYSA does happen as well.

Q. What type of player pass cards are used in EDP?

A. EDP is a US Club Soccer affiliated league, and uses US Club soccer passes. MCYSA and MNJYSA soccer leagues, which most Summit teams currently play in, use US Youth Soccer passes.